ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝟝𝟠 #2
Maybe this was what normal felt like. Or at least, the closest thing we could manage.
Cameron leaned back against the couch. "You know what? I've actually gotten pretty good at woodworking."
"Since when?"
"Since I started," He grinned. "I made something last year."
"What?" I sit up in my seat.
"A little table."
"Where is it?"
"In the garage." He ran a hand through his hair.
I laughed. "So you made a table and hid it from me?"
"I didn't hide it. I just needed somewhere to put it." He shook his head, smiling.
"You haven't changed." I looked at him.
"Neither have you," He smiled faintly. "Actually...there's something I haven't told you."
My stomach tightened slightly. That sentence had never been followed by anything good in my experience.
"What?"
He looked down at his hands. "The mayor asked me to give a speech."
"The mayor? Why?"
He shrugged. "It's probably because I'm Ralph West's son."
"Oh, of course." I rolled my eyes.
"I had the same reaction." Cameron laughed softly.
"Did you say yes?"
"I haven't decided."
I studied his face. "Why not?"
"I'm not exactly a speech guy."
I almost laughed.
Cameron had no problem talking when there was an actual emergency.
I wanted to remind him that he'd spent years giving orders to firefighters, talking to families on their worst days, and somehow convincing people to listen to him when they were panicking.
But a microphone was where he drew the line.
"Yeah you are, you talk all the time."
"To you."
"Unfortunate for me." I smile.
He laughed. "I mean I've sucked at big speeches since I was 8."
My smile faded slightly at that. Ralph had wanted Cameron to be the next big Ralph West, hence the hard speeches at eight years out.
He smiled at me for another second before looking away. "The mayor wants me to speak about Molly 'cause we found her."
I nodded slowly.
I mean, the whole city knew.
Molly disappearing had become a massive story. Her return would be an even bigger one. I could only imagine how overwhelming that must've been for him.
Everyone had watched the story unfold from the outside, while Cameron had lived it.
"Are you going to do it?"
"I don't know."
"You should."
His eyebrows lifted. "You think so?"
I smiled at him. "You'd probably be good at it."
He looked at me. "You think?"
"You're good with people, Cameron."
He could walk into a room full of strangers and leave knowing everyone's name five minutes later, with five new friends on the way out.
I had never understood how he did that.
I honestly couldn't think of one enemy Cameron had. He was a good guy all around.
He smiled slightly. "That's not what I'd say."
"I'm saying it because it's true."
His smile grew, and the tip of his ears turned pink. For some reason, that made me look away.
I suddenly became interested in the other bookshelf across the room.
"Anyway."
"Yeah, anyway," he repeated.
Cameron stretched his legs out in front of him. "The speech is today, by the way."
I froze. "Today? You waited until now to tell me?"
"I was going to eventually."
"Oh, Cameron.."
"I know, I know. You don't have to follow me, if you don't want to. I know I talked to you about it late."
~
Cameron had shaken hands with at least ten people by the time we finally made our way toward the backstage entrance.
I had shaken hands with at least eight. Or nine, maybe even ten. At this point, I had completely lost count. Everyone was starting to look the same.
Diamonds, diamonds, and more diamonds. A truly unnecessary number of diamonds.
I smiled politely at another person as they passed us, then forgot their name.
Which, made me feel slightly guilty, but then again, I had been introduced to approximately twenty people in the last fifteen minutes.
There was only so much information my brain was willing to store.
The entire evening reminded me of the business parties my parents used to drag me to when I was younger.
Those events where everyone seemed to know everyone else, and I was expected to stand beside my parents in an uncomfortable itchy dress while my parents talked about investments, mergers, politics, and people I had never heard of.
Back then, I had hated it. Not much had changed. Except now I was the person people were actually introducing.
They seemed to know who I was pretty well.
I smiled through all of it.
Cameron, meanwhile, seemed completely comfortable.
He looked like he belonged here. Actually, he looked like he belonged anywhere.
He was wearing a perfectly tailored black tuxedo that fit him so well it was almost irritating.
The jacket sat cleanly across his broad shoulders, the black bow tie made his jaw look even sharper.
His dirty blonde hair had been styled for the evening, although a few strands had already fallen slightly out of place from people stopping him every few seconds.
Dare I say it made him look better.
His face was clean-shaven except for the faintest shadow along his jaw, and his alluring blue eyes seemed even more intense against the formal black and white.
He looked expensive. That was the only word I could think of.
He had the type of face people remembered.
And also, apparently the kind of face that made strangers assume they could walk up and start a conversation.
I glanced down at myself.
My dress was deep emerald, fitted through the waist before falling softly toward the floor. The fabric hugged my curves without being overly revealing.
My hair was straightened for the event, though it started to get a little puffy at the roots.
Stupid humidity.
My makeup was simple but polished.
I had spent far too long getting ready- I had almost changed three times.
And now, standing beside Cameron, I was beginning to understand why several people had looked at me twice when we'd walked through the ballroom.
I wasn't used to it. At all. Especially not when Cameron was beside me.
Cameron's fingers tightened around mine.
I glanced at him. "Are you okay?"
"I'm as fine as one can be." His eyebrow lifted.
I chuckled at that. "The tip of your ear is red."
He smiled. It only got more red after that.
We continued walking. His hand never left mine, even as people called his name from across the room. He always came back to me.
Eventually, we reached a set of double doors guarded by two security officers.
One of them stepped forward. "Mr. West?"
"That's me." Cameron nodded.
The guard glanced briefly at me before looking back at Cameron.
"Mayor Conrad is expecting you."
"Thank you."
The guard stepped aside, and Cameron guided me through the doors. The noise from the ballroom immediately faded behind us.
Backstage was completely different. Much more quiet.
The polished elegance of the ballroom disappeared almost completely.
This was where the machinery behind the event lived. I preferred it. At least nobody was pretending the cables were decorative.
A security guard stood near the end of the hallway. He was wearing a dark suit with an earpiece tucked discreetly against his ear.
He straightened when he saw us.
"Mr. West."
Cameron nodded. "Hey."
The guard then looked at me.
"Mrs. West."
"Hello." I smiled politely.
"The mayor is waiting for you both."
Cameron glanced at me. "Are we ready?"
I looked down at myself, then at him. "I don't have a choice, do I?"
He laughed quietly. The guard motioned for us to follow him.
The guard stopped in front of another door. He knocked once, and a deep voice came from inside.
"Come in."
The guard opened the door.
We stepped inside. The mayor was standing near a large table covered with papers, folders, and several bottles of water.
He turned immediately, and his face brightened. "Cameron."
"Mayor Conrad." Cameron grinned.
The mayor walked toward us with his hand already extended. "It's good to see you."
"Great to see you too."
They shook hands firmly. The mayor held onto Cameron's hand for a second longer than necessary before releasing it.
"I appreciate you being here tonight."
Cameron nodded. "It's wonderful to speak here. Really, it's an honor."
"We're very glad to have you." The mayor smiled.
Then his attention shifted toward me. "And you must be Dixie."
I smiled. "Hi, yes."
His expression warmed. "Mrs. West."
He extended his hand and I took it. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"The pleasure is mine." His handshake was firm.
He seemed professional at first, then his eyes dropped. From my face to the neckline of my dress, then lower.
I immediately became very aware of the dress I was wearing.
I wished I hadn't.
The mayor looked back up at my face. "Very nice to meet you."
"You too." My voice came out slightly softer than I intended.
Now I was flustered. I hated being flustered in front of important people. I pulled my hand back gently.
The mayor turned toward the table. "Please, sit. We don't have much time before the program begins."
I nodded. Cameron placed his hand lightly against my waist as we moved toward the chairs.
The gesture was subtle, but I felt it immediately.
The mayor began sorting through a few papers. "Tonight is obviously about Molly."
"What happened to your sister affected the entire city. We had police departments, community organizations, volunteers, and residents all involved in the search."
Cameron nodded. "It was an incredibly difficult situation."
"How is she doing now?" The mayor looked at him.
Cameron's expression softened. "She's definitely doing better, still adjusting."
"Of course. That's wonderful," The mayor sat down across from us. "We don't want tonight to become another media circus. That's not the purpose of the event."
Cameron nodded. "I appreciate that."
"We want people to hear from you directly. About what happened. About the search. About what the community did."
Cameron looked down briefly, then back up. "I can do that."
I watched him. There was something different about him when people talked about Molly.
The mayor continued explaining the order of the program.